It is the AFLPA equivalent of the Brownlow Medal (voted for by umpires), and a variety of media-sponsored MVP awards.
Greg Williams (1985, 1994), Wayne Carey (1995, 1998), Michael Voss (2002, 2003), Chris Judd (2006, 2011) and Nat Fyfe (2014, 2015) have won the award twice.
Erin Phillips and Jasmine Garner are the only two players to win the award on multiple occasions.
[1] The eligibility for the award is different from the AFL's other main award for the best performing young player, the AFL Rising Star, which can be won by any player aged under 21 as of 1 January that year, and who has not played more than ten matches before the start of the season.
Brownlow Medallists Adam Goodes and Chris Judd have both won the award in the past.
There is a similarly decreased focus on youth—for example, Richmond's Eilish Sheerin won the award in 2022 (S7) at the age of 30.
The award is named after the Australian sportsman Robert Rose, who became a quadriplegic in 1974 after a car accident.
The award was created in honour and memory of the late Grant Hattam, who was a leading sports and media lawyer.